• The EU bank has provided €30 million to help Slovakia’s SMEs and mid-caps sustain jobs, maintain liquidity and continue with investments to maintain their competitiveness.
  • The operation also accelerates Slovakia’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • This is the second EIB operation with EXIMBANKA SR supporting the country’s SMEs and mid-caps.

The European Investment Bank (EIB), the bank of the European Union, has provided €30 million to Exportno-importná banka Slovenskej Republiky (EXIMBANKA SR) to support its lending to Slovakia’s export-oriented small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and mid-caps. The EIB operation unlocks a new source of more accessible finance for such companies and accelerates the country’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The EIB loan will mitigate the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the local economy and help small and medium enterprises and mid-caps sustain jobs, maintain liquidity and continue with investments and expansion plans. The EIB financing will be available from EXIMBANKA SR for export-oriented companies also looking to address disruptions in their value chains. Small and medium businesses account for 99.9% of firms, 72% of jobs and 58% of value added in the Slovak Republic.

EIB Vice-President Lilyana Pavlova, who is responsible for operations in Slovakia, said: “Our latest operation underlines the EIB’s commitment to remain a reliable partner of Slovakia in creating and protecting jobs and incomes, strengthening the local economy and increasing the competitiveness and export potential of the Slovak economy. Together with EXIMBANKA SR, we are unlocking a new, valuable source of financing for local SMEs and mid-caps to ensure the Slovak economy can continue to grow, maintain its competitiveness and contribute to social and economic development, as well as recover faster from COVID-19.”

Chair of the Bank Board and CEO of EXIMBANKA SR Monika Kohútová said: “We are continuously looking for additional and more advantageous financing options for Slovak export companies and we are pleased that we could build on the historic first successful cooperation with the EIB in 2018. Thanks to additional EIB funding, we are able to improve entrepreneurs’ access to loans, especially in the SME segment, with favourable interest rates at a time when they really need support, and even in times of the pandemic. Supporting small and medium enterprises remains our top priority; they are our most important target group for this credit line. In particular, businesses will benefit from the possibility to finance their operational needs, material and other costs as well as investment projects related to the implementation of their foreign contracts. Even nowadays, it is important for Slovak enterprises to seek new customers and expand their business into new territories. This way they not only gain new customers and increase their profits, but also diversify and reduce their risks. We are very pleased that, thanks to the EIB, our financing options will be more favourable and more accessible for these businesses, and that we can help maintain jobs in the SME segment in Slovakia. I would therefore advise exporters to consider starting a business partnership with us as soon as possible so that they can take advantage of the financing benefits from these sources.”

This is the second EIB operation with EXIMBANKA SR in support of the country’s small and medium enterprises and mid-caps; the first €50 million loan was signed in 2018.

EIB – a reliable partner for faster COVID-19 recovery of Slovak economy

Earlier this year, the EIB provided €100 million in guarantees to UniCredit Bank Slovakia, enabling it to offer more affordable financing for a faster COVID-19 recovery of companies in Slovakia. This risk-sharing operation stems from the European Guarantee Fund (EGF), the €25 billion fund set up by the EIB as part of the EU package to help businesses recover from the pandemic, hire employees and grow.

Background information

About the EIB in Slovakia:

Since the beginning of its lending operations in Slovakia in 1992, the EIB has invested €9.59 billion across key economic sectors, including small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), transport, infrastructure and energy. In 2020 alone, the EIB Group invested €211 million to support social and economic development in Slovakia.

One of the EIB’s main activities in Slovakia is to help SMEs and to improve their access to long-term financing by creating credit lines with local financial institutions. In 2020 alone, the EIB supported 520 Slovak SMEs, sustaining over 15 500 jobs in the process, while reinforcing the stability of the country’s financial institutions.

Responding to the COVID-19 emergency, the EIB has provided €209.4 million to the Slovak economy to improve its resilience and strengthen its economic recovery.

About EXIMBANKA SR:

EXIMBANKA SR is an export credit agency of the Slovak Republic which provides banking and insurance services. Its primary objective is to enable Slovak exporters to enter into projects and territories where the commercial financial sector is less interested in taking risks. The mission of EXIMBANKA SR is to improve economic exchange between the Slovak Republic and foreign countries, increase the competitiveness of Slovak producers on foreign markets, and promote exports of products with high added value.